Phenazopyridine / Sulfamethoxazole News

FRIDAY, Jan. 12, 2018 – Urinary tract infections (UTIs) can be problematic for pregnant women and their babies, but so can two antibiotics used to treat these infections, U.S. health officials warn. The antibiotics – trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim) and nitrofurantoin (Macrobid) – have been linked to a small risk for birth defects in pregnant women when given in the first trimester. ...

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 4, 2017 – Urinary tract infections (UTIs) plague millions of Americans each year. Now, researchers say they've developed a test that can tell in minutes whether or not a particular antibiotic can clear up the problem. The issue is an important one, doctors say, since many of the bacteria behind UTIs have grown resistant to certain antibiotics. And, left untreated, these ...

FRIDAY, July 7, 2017 – Recurring Clostridium difficile intestinal infections are rising sharply in the United States, researchers warn. These infections sicken about 500,000 people a year, cause tens of thousands of deaths, and cost the U.S. health care system about $5 billion, according to investigators at the University of Pennsylvania. C. difficile causes diarrhea, severe gut inflammation and ...

THURSDAY, June 15, 2017 – About 20 percent of U.S. hospital patients who receive antibiotics experience side effects from the drugs, researchers report. The new study included nearly 1,500 hospitalized adults who were prescribed antibiotics. The findings revealed that one-fifth of those who experienced antibiotic-related side effects didn't require the drugs in the first place. The results add ...

TUESDAY, June 13, 2017 – Staphylococcus aureus infections among U.S. hospital patients have been less resistant to key antibiotics in recent years, a new study finds. Between 2009 and 2015, researchers tested antibiotic resistance in more than 19,000 S. aureus samples from 42 medical centers nationwide. "Results showed that S. aureus' rates of resistance to certain antibiotics decreased over ...

MONDAY, May 1, 2017 – Taking certain types of antibiotics during pregnancy may boost the risk of miscarriage, a large study suggests. Macrolides, quinolones, tetracyclines, sulfonamides and metronidazole were associated with an increased risk of "spontaneous abortion," meaning loss of pregnancy before the 20th week of gestation. The study doesn't prove cause and effect. But, it does tie use of ...

MONDAY, Feb. 27, 2017 – A new report suggests that Canada would reap savings of more than $4 billion a year if the government funded nearly 120 types of "essential" medications. "Adding an essential medicines list is a pragmatic step toward universal pharmacare," said Steven Morgan, in a news release from the Canadian Medical Association. "It would ensure all Canadians have access to the most ...

MONDAY, Feb. 27, 2017 – Antibiotic-resistant "superbugs" are a major public health threat, but most Americans are clueless about the dangers, a new HealthDay/Harris Poll shows. More than two-thirds of U.S. adults know "little" or "nothing" about so-called superbugs – bacterial infections that are resistant to many or all antibiotics. And around half believe, incorrectly, that antibiotics work ...

FRIDAY, Feb. 24, 2017 – Hoping to lessen their misery, most people would like to know whether the respiratory illness they've got could be helped by an antibiotic. The key to finding out may lie in your nose. Or, more specifically, the mucus in your nose. Researchers from Duke Health in Durham, N.C., said they've identified a group of proteins that could be used to tell if an infection is caused ...

THURSDAY, Nov. 17, 2016 – Antibiotics taken orally are as effective – and doubtless much more welcome – than intravenous antibiotics for children recovering at home from complex pneumonia, a new study finds. Youngsters with complex pneumonia typically have to take antibiotics for one to three weeks after they leave the hospital, the researchers noted. To see if one medication method ...

-- Antibiotic resistance applies when bacteria are no longer eliminated by a medicine that's supposed to kill them. Experts blame the problem on improper use of antibiotic medications. Here's what you can do to help, according to the World Health Organization: Only take antibiotics when prescribed by a health professional. Always finish the entire supply of antibiotics. Stopping too soon may ...

MONDAY, Sept. 19, 2016 – Despite growing concerns about creating drug-resistant bacteria, overprescribing of antibiotics in U.S. hospitals didn't drop between 2006 and 2012, according to a new federal report. Over that time period, 55 percent of patients received at least one dose of antibiotics during their hospital stay, whether it was needed or not, researchers from the U.S. Centers for ...

TUESDAY, May 3, 2016 – Nearly one-third of the antibiotics prescribed in the United States aren't appropriate for the conditions being treated, a new federal government study shows. "We were able to conclude that at least 30 percent of the antibiotics that are given in doctors' offices, emergency departments and hospital-based clinics are unnecessary, meaning that no antibiotics were needed at ...

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 17, 2016 – Delirium in hospitalized patients might be linked to common antibiotics more often than once believed, according to new research. Delirium – mental confusion that may be paired with hallucinations and agitation – is often caused by medications. But, antibiotics are not typically the first type of drug suspected, said study lead author Dr. Shamik Bhattacharyya, a ...

A groundbreaking agreement between the drug industry and governments to work together to fight drug-resistant "superbugs" is expected to be announced Thursday. Under the deal, 74 drug makers, 11 diagnostic test makers, and nine industry groups pledge to work with each other and 16 countries to prevent and improve treatment of drug-resistant infections, the Associated Press reported. These ...